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While researching options for ‘Wine Preservation’ over the past year, because my husband travels quite extensively in his work and often we open up a good bottle of wine and he may want more when he returns in a week. Consumers do not always want to finish a bottle or two all in one sitting- what to do?

I am not always in the mood to drink two or three days in a row. Call me crazy! I love wine, but routinely I am myself traveling quite extensively to the the gym now. So I am seriously watching my calorie intake, and unfortunately alcohol and sugar products are high on that ‘no-no’ list.

PIWC will be testing out a new product I recently discovered on-line, the VinAssure™ Wine Preservation system. I am excited out this product and have seen it on a few wine sites. Often as a chef, or even just as a great cook I might make a few dishes where a white and a red would pair well, but for only two people and not other guests sharing- we would want to save what is left for another evening.

Wine connoisseurs have found numerous ways over centuries to preserve wine, most do not care if it sits on the counter just re-corked at room temperature, but if you are serious then you may want to re-think the options.

The VinAssure™ Story- How did this amazing product begin?

VinAssure™ grew out of a simple desire not to waste wine, and a practical business need to make good use of every last drop. For years I was the owner and proprietor of a small wine store and tasting bar, and I had what I would consider a low to medium volume of wines served by the glass each week. At one point I sat down to calculate the dollar-for-dollar waste of unsold, tossed out, or employee consumed wine that had just become an accepted sunken cost of my business. Even with my small program the numbers were staggering… I was simply WASTING WINE and pouring potential revenues down the drain!

Oxygen is not the enemy of wine. Yet the most outspoken proponents of O2’s role in wine development will still scrupulously try to exclude it from partial tank head spaces. We all gotta gas. But in reality, few of us do it well. And in an imperfect world, it is not enough to shrug and say, “We just try to keep topped tanks”…(read more)

Come back next week and find out how are VinAssure experience pours out!

Many neighborhoods have their history, but few have their history re-written in such a strong way as the Ironbound District of Newark. Typically in Central Jersey (depending on where you really live), the area is full of Asian culture cuisine. You want your pick of Indian food and markets? You will find eateries all along Route 1, Princeton to Edison. Of course New York City has wall to wall ethnic food choices that over flow into the bordering state of New Jersey.

As it does today, the Ironbound had inhabitants of many ethnic groups in the 19th century, with Germans, Lithuanians, Italians, and Poles being prominent. As well as during the mid-twentieth century it was also home to a large African-American population, so I am sure the restaurant scene was a cultural variance before now. With its streets dotted with Portuguese eateries and the greater influx dominating the area in the 1950’s; its well worth the drive from any section of New Jersey for an early dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

The Ironbound is a large working-class neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. This close-knit, multi-ethnic community covers approximately four square miles. Historically, the area was called “Dutch Neck,” “Down Neck,” or simply “the Neck,” because of the way the Passaic River curved to form what looked like a neck. Today, the neighborhood is sometimes referred to as “Little Portugal” or “New Jersey’s Portugal” owing to its large Portuguese community. The Ironbound is part of Newark’s East Ward and is directly east of Penn Station and Downtown Newark, and south and west of the river.

The name “Ironbound” was once said to have originated from the many forges and foundries that were found in this area during the latter half of the 19th century, however, the name probably came from the rail tracks that surrounded the area when the railroads were constructed during the 1830s.

Want to get a taste of the foods and culture of Portugal? Visit the Ironbound District now. Since 1910, the area has deep roots and is home to many Portuguese Social Clubs. This past weekend a Portuguese music festival was taking up the block of Independence Park off . Taste of Portugal was the site for our Women For Winesense Tasting, and did they do a great job serving up healthy portions of various well know dishes. The largest selection of restaurants are found off Ferry and Market Street, north Ironbound area.

Check back Wednesday when I share the ‘Best Of’ wines and food we all enjoyed!

[gruh-NAHSH] Grape that comes in both red-wine and white-wine varieties. When used by itself, the word “Grenache” refers to the red version Grenache Noir, one of the world’s most widely cultivated red grapes. The Grenache grape does well in hot, dry regions, and its strong stalk makes it well suited for windy conditions.

It ripens with very high sugar levels and can produce wines with 15 to 16 percent alcohol. Grenache wines are sweet, fruity, and very low in tannins. They’re usually lacking in color, except in growing areas where yields are low. The vine originated in Spain where it’s called Garnacha and Garnacha Tinta (or Garnacho Tinto) and is the most widely cultivated red-wine grape in that country. It’s widely planted in navarra and in many of Spain’s hotter areas including cariñena, la mancha, penedès, rioja and utiel-requena. In southern France not far from the Spanish border, Grenache is widely cultivated in the areas around languedoc-roussillon, provence and the southern rhône.

Also extensively grown in Algeria, Australia, Corsica, Israel, Morocco, Sardinia (where it’s called Cannonau), and California’s central valley. Guarnaccia is a Grenache strain native to southern Italy’s Ischia island, at the entrance to the Bay of Naples. Red Grenache wines are usually blended with those made from other varieties; 100 percent Grenache wines are rarely found. In Spain Grenache is blended with tempranillo, and in most of France it’s blended with cinsaut and carignan. In châteauneuf-du-pape it’s used as the primary grape, although it is blended with as many as twelve other varietals including clairette, mourvèdre, muscadine and syrah. In rosé wines-particularly those from côtes-du-rhône, côtes du ventoux, lirac and tavel-Grenache is often the dominant grape used. In California and Australia, it’s most often used as a blending wine for inexpensive jug wines. Grenache Blanc (or Garnacha Blanca) is the white variety of this grape.

Although not as popular as the red, it’s still widely planted in both Spain and France. The white wines produced are high alcohol and low acidity. Grenache is known by many different names including Alicante, Cannonao (or Cannonau), Carignan Rosso, Granaccia, Granacha, and Roussillon.

REDS:

Marco Real, navarra Granache Spain 05

Domaine d’Anderon, Cotes Du Rone France 08

Yalumba Barossa Valley, Bush Vine Granache Australia 08

Herman’s Story, Larner Vineyard California 06

My impressions, were this group was comparing apples to oranges. Each glass/bottle had their own characteristics, so it comes down to a preference, and mine- all of them were great. The California Herman’s won on overall points at our AWS- American Wine Society tasting event. My taste buds lean towards old world, so I did feel if there was a bottle of Domain d’Anderson left on the kitchen table, I would have found room in my pocket book, and quietly steal away into the night!

Food Pairing Notes: The fat of the chicken was most notable with its perfect pairing with the California Grenache, as the fat helped balance out the tannic ‘cheekiness’, and this wine could have aged a bit longer. Most all other foods went well with the wines as courses were served, another notable pairing was the Rose with Strawberry Salad!

What a great way to show off your wine and food pairing skills by having a wine or supper club over to the house. If you do not want to worry about space for sixteen or less, then host one on the patio or deck. Turn up the heat with the barbecue and serve some good chilled wines, but do not let the opportunity of learning about new wines and trying you hand at global recipes slip away with summer. If there is not one in your area, then start your own with a few friends, and then watch; it will take off like wildflowers.

“When it comes to American Sauvignon Blanc, wine makers will try to imitate either the elegant French style of a Sancerre, a Poully-Fume or the vibrant grassy style of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, hence it may be tough to figure out what you are buying.” says our PIWC wine writer Adrienne Turner in her Sauvignon Blanc Examiner.com post.

However I found the foods paired with this AWS tasting- Sauvignon Blancs, Shiraz, and a two dessert wines really complimented the wines.

Menu- New Zealand Mussels, poached Salmon with dill tartar, kiwi seafood ceviche, smoked boneless leg of lamb with rosemary fingerling potatoes, and my new favorite- sweet english peas with mint are just the beginning. The dessert course consisted of chewy oatmeal cookies called ‘Anzac’, ice cream over ‘Pavlova’, another treat of New Zealand, and of course some sliced Kiwi graced the plate.

Sometimes the simple cuisine of another country can work so well with a good Sauvignon Blanc (example: Cloudy Bay)

Adrienne and I have the opportunity to (we met at last years tastings) be part of a great Central Jersey wine group- American Wine Society. We meet once a month at a pre-determined location and enjoy themed wine and food pairings. Her and I both have had the opportunity to host our own event in the home, and we recommend you join a group near you!

April 18th, 12 Pacific Time, Iron Horse Winery will be tweeting globally about their wines ‘From Sonoma to New Jersey’ via WineTwits’ Sip and Twit’, and about the Pinot Noir Estate Napa Valley (Green Valley) we most recently paired with food, which by the way is an excellent wine!

Adrienne and I will be posting a video this next week of some Tweets gathering together to taste the wine and discuss its wonderful notes and accolades…

Join Us!

4PM Eastern- Partners In Wine Club will be attending the Iron Horse Tasting at:

We have paired the Iron Horse Pinot Noir, 07 with a lightly dressed EVO Feta Cheese, olives, and Dolmas, along with an earthy black bean, mixed cheddar, crispy tortillas, and mixed green salads. The bottle of Pinot we opened was a perfect match! So we look forward to tasting more on Sunday!